BINONDO A Tsinoy Musical

Rebecca Shangkuan Chuaunsu

When Madame Rebecca Shangkuan Chuaunsu went to China to trace her roots, she stumbled upon the story of a Chinese professor who told them about his greatest love and heartbreak. It takes them to the oldest Chinatown in the world, our very own BINONDO in Manila, Philippines.

I've been i n BINONDO quite a few times over the years and I like how it shows the Tsinoy culture, the delectable food choices, the nice olden buildings and its people. When I heard it was being done as a musical, I've had a pretty good idea how it would look like. In my mind it would look and feel that way too, but I watched this show - it had me crying towards the end of the story, I expected less, they have indeed given me more.

It started with a prayer, not required but it shows how deeply rooted Christianity is in the Philippines

The orchestra was phenomenal, I would choose the sets a few rows after the front ones because audio wise, I couldn't hear the voices as I was too near. I was seated beside playwright and famous writer Ricky Lee.

Albeit some creative freedom to make this for the stage, I didn't mind at all. They introduced us to the love story of Lily Dela Rosa and Ah Tiong. Lily is a lounge singer whilst Ah Tiong is a scholar who did his phD in the US, spent his vacation in BINONDO for two weeks finding himself falling in love with Lily before he went back to Beijing. The story revolves around an era where Mao meets Marcos, victims of situations they did not have any control with, what they were sure only of what was they love each other. I don't want to spoil the whole story for you so I'll concentrate on the actors performances because there are a lot of them that should be lauded.

The Binondo Arch with the moon in the background

Choreography was on point, thanks to Douglas Nierras and Powerdance

Costumes had hits and misses

The ensemble cast who played many roles, all were essential, although took some attention, provided entertaining comedy in some serious and tough times. The hits and misses we're just in the costumes as if we are going to talk about period clothing. The 70's should have stayed 70's, and the Chinese should have stayed Chinese, and not like French clowns which reminds me of some of the pieces here. This is a big production, upscale audiences could see the runs on panty hose, some sloppy adhesives on the microphone which would take away a lot of the actors look. I was worried about that. It demands so much talent and passion, they gave that solidly though, highly commendable.

During this show, lead actor David Ezra played An Tiong, I am a fan now. He took a while to warm up to the character.

This is also Carla Guevarra Laforteza as Lily, obviously an experienced actress

Noel Rayos as Carlos, I could see his veins come out of his neck while singing, that's passion right there.

David had real great pipes, you could hear him sing even on the back row

They had love scenes, I enjoyed that of course

He had kissing scenes, a lot more than Arman Ferrer according to the press I watched with that evening. Good job buddy!

Ima Castro is Ima Castro, world class!

Jasmine was okay. Played by Mariella Laurel.

Ruby was outstanding, no matter how short that stint is, she made a mark. 

I had a wide lens on my ASUS Zenfone5Q so it was easy to capture the whole stage even if I was in the front row

BINONDO would be so good for Tsinoys and people who would like to see and feel love, have their hearts broken, hope, disappointment, and all the feelings in between. Congratulations to Rebecca Chuaunsu Film Production for a job well done on this original material, this was just awesome, sophisticated, full fo feelings and playful. 

You may watch the show in it's last 5 runs. Binondo, A Tsinoy Musical happens this July 6 Fri- 8pm (carla / david / floyd), July 7 Sat- 3pm (carla / david / noel),  July 7 Sat- 8pm (shiela / arman / floyd), July 8 Sun- 3pm (shiela / arman / noel), July 8 Sun- 8pm (carla / david / floyd). It's worth to watch, I enjoyed it so much I may invite a few people on Friday to watch it with me. 

It's sensational and beautiful, some flaws but a good story and interpretation. Watch it at The THEATER at Solaire in Pasay City.

KUMAGCOW

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VIVO Announces Chinese New Year Photo Contest Winner

Rhea and Kat in action during the CNY Photowalk

 I've enjoyed this photowalk that Vivo arranged a couple weeks ago. It was part of their Chinese New Year celebrations and what better way to do that but by doing a photo contest in the Year of the Eart Dog. There were about 18 of us walking the streets of Binondo and nearby establishments, armed with their newest phone model VIVO V7+ with it's 24MP front cam, it would be easy capturing the sights and sounds of Binondo.

I remember taking advantage of the camera’s HDR mode for all my shots. I also got to shoot with it and got stunning images as long as the phone's display. Selfies were so easy with it's portrait bokeh mode, making creamy blurred background a cinch for any regular joe. The Vivo V7+ also has got the professional mode which is like the manual mode of DSLR cameras. Adjustments for any particular setting you do in DSLR cameras, you can do it here. Vivo’s Chinese New Year Photo Contest also meant Vivo phone users got the chance to make entries out of their Chinese New Year themed photos and upload them in their Instagram accounts. They stood to win a brand-new Vivo V7+ in the process, and you know who won? It's this lady here, Angela Palacio.

 

Angela Palacio

Her entry with chinese lanterns illuminated on the streets, won her the new phone!

Aside from winning the brand new phone, she got her entry posted and be showcased at the Chinese New Year Photo display at Lucky Chinatown together with the bloggers and celebrities who enjoyed the activities as well.

I would like to take this bit to thank VIVO for having us and the rest of the bloggers. I love how some of my followers tagged me because they saw the photos in Lucky Chinatown later on. They posted my shot of the church, that was awesome!

If you have questions about the phone, please visit their official website www.vivo.com/ph or their channels on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivophil/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/vivo_phil). Congratulations Angela! Enjoy the phone!

VIVO Year of the Dog Photo Contest Ends Today

My affinity for street photography spans years since I picked up a DSLR. For me it showed how people live their daily lives, you begin to appreciate architecture, life, culture even more the way you see things and it would make you see how passionate other people in the same hobby, like kindred spirits you take notice of the littlest things and showcase photography as an art form. These days you don’t have to be a magician as each person who holds a smartphone can do it, some even better than the usual and I completely understand why.

It’s the Year of the Earth Dog and what better way to celebrate it but by taking photos in the oldest Chinatown in the world called Binondo. This district has history, telling us how the Filipino Chinese ancestry started in the country and why it’s so colorful everytime the Chinese New Year is celebrated.

VIVO had us use their Vivo V7+ a few weeks ago and had us walk along the streets of Binondo. As you can see I have a lot of shots that actually worked. Here’s a short video of our photowalk that day!

The contest will end today and if you haven’t posted an entry yet, please do. You’ll get to have your own mural during the Chinese New Year celebration in Manila with your photo on display and even get yourself a new VIVO V7+. Wouldn’t that be a good thing? Make sure you follow the mechanics of the competition.

KUMAGCOW

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A Real Road Test In the Streets of Manila with the CHUCK II KNIT Sneakers

I'm a shoeholic and I'm currently on a shoe diet now because I probably have 136++ pairs of shoes where I keep it. I pretty much know what looks good or not for me and suffice to say, a good 30% of the shoes I own are actually Converse CHUCKS. Now that tells you how much I do love the brand, and perhaps give you a picture how it is with other people that own shoes like it.

There are a lot of technological advancements now with Converse shoes. First off, they listened to consumers and they have really changed the way we look at the CHUCK II. For me, Chucks has pretty much satisfied me in the comfort department because they made the shoe light and I can walk for hours without feeling hurt at all. Although there are some instances where if the terrain is a little bumpy, you could feel the road on your feet. This is where they employ the Lunarlon technology. You see, this is the cushioning foam that they put in CHUCK II's that basically gets you the support and comfort you need without compromising weight that Chucks are actually known for. It's 30% lighter than the usual phylon insoles you see in rubber shoes and they've made it available in future models. 

Speaking of which, we just got hold of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star II Knit Collection. This was planned to be released in May, but since we're good boys and girls they went ahead and did it in April (which means it's available now!). Now I know if you're new, you probably aren't going to buy a descent pair of Chucks just by the looks department (although I would on impulse) but if you saw these pairs in real life, you know it's going to last you longer than the usual pair. Why you ask? It's because of it's built, it's got tightly woven knit material which I'm sure would weather the abuse of everyday life. Bumps, scratches, other people who step on it, might only get it a bit dirty but NOT damage it at all. In a normal world, this is already unusual and getting this material in a pair of Chucks Knit II is just amazing. They also had it in different colors, Volt Green, Black, Yellow, Roadtrip Blue, Red, White and Spraypaint Blue. It's high cut but the one I got isn't and I'm glad they have variety. I didn't just take their word for it, we really did a road test in the oldest Chinatown in the world, the Binondo District in old Manila. We got the services of Ivan Man Dy who does Food Wok's (another term for Food Walk) so we could get to know Manila and the Chinoy food culture, an activity that I surely enjoyed. Here's how it went in photos!

We wore our comfy Lunarlon embedded Chuck II Knit Sneakers in the historical Binondo Church. Then we met with Ivan Man Dy who told us to meet several other people, foreigners who joined in the tour that day. I took off my Red All Weather Waterproof Chucks and wore this Roadtrip Blue low cut Chuck II Knit Sneakers!

Tasty Dumpling in Binondo

We braved the streets of Manila again to get to Binondo, one of the city's great food destinations. I rode the MRT2 which is bigger and wider compared to the sardine can like MRT3 in Edsa. It's pretty convenient, but like any public transportation you must be reminded to take care of your belongings since there are a lot of crooks when traveling here.

It's nice and roomy, and the coaches look good too as they've got advertisers covering them up as moving billboards. Like this one with AlDub on them!

Which I know you'll find cute too. After going down on the Recto station, I rode a jeep to Divisoria. I never bought anything the first time I shopped there and unfortunately, I didn't find anything interesting again so I went right across the street and walked a bit further to the Binondo district where most restaurants were still open even on holidays.

I saw a small bridge in the middle (I forgot the name) but it made me cross the street easier and didn't have to go around the area. There was also a small dumpling seller on the street right after this which I'm going back to soon. It's cheaper I think and most of the Chinese people in the area bought their dumplings there too. I will go back definitely.

I was gearing towards having dinner in Eng Bee Tin the famous hopia shop which consequently also had their own Chinese restaurant too right beside it. I bought hopia, peanut ampao, white tikoy and corn tikoy for take out then walked a little more towards the Binondo Church.

It was a little funky there because they had horses manure and piss on the road which I think should be something the local government should probably do something about. This is the San Lorenzo Ruiz Minor Basilica. Then there's a nice spot across the street.

The Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz is nice but there were tons of street kids that would spoil the view, they'll keep asking you for change so don't do that as they'll get used to it. I saw some of them using rugby, not a good thing..

Anyway, I walked on the left side of the church and saw Tasty Dumpling. It's not my first time because I've been to their Banawe branch, but first time here in Binondo. It's a bit small, can fit around 20-30 people and most locals have dinner or lunch here I think. They have a huge sign not to bring BAON because students probably do that on regular days LOL!

I ordered two drinks. One is the Wintermelon Juice (that tastes like sago without the actual sago part) and the best seller Dalandan Juice (which tastes like the fruit, a little tangy but sweet).

I also got two types of dumplings. The original one is just pork, the other is called Kuchai which means it's pork and spring onions on it. They have light soy and vinegar plus home made chili which you can dip the dumplings into. Make sure you eat it while it's hot because it's just gonna be better.

For those looking for something filling, Tasty Dumpling has the BEST Pork Chop. It's served as Pork Chop Rice with  some really good sweet and savory sauce over it. It's like the Taiwanese pork chop but I guess it's their version. It's huge too and probably good to share. If you're a bit hungry, I suggest you order more rice from their menu as they've got that too. Service was also fast, they got my order fixed in as short as 5 minutes I think. How's that for fastfood no?! They are located at 960 Ongpin Street right beside Binondo Church so you wouldn't really miss it.

I want to see more hole in the wall restaurants in my next posts. Stay tuned for that. As for now, I'd like to wish you guys a very happy new year! Thank you for reading this and thank you also for making my 2015 a good one. Let's make 2016 even better!

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW

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For more information about their restaurant:

Tasty Dumplings

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http://tastydumplings.com